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Topic: Top Chef 10 (Read 7170 times)

It is time for my fearless prediction of who will be in the finale of TC10. It should shock nobody that I expect to see:

KristenBrookeStefan

From the Last Chance Kitchen/Favorite Chef bracket, it is very hard to predict. I do not see CJ as able to sustain another 5 challenges to make it 10 total consecutive wins and then one more to beat the Favorite to get into the finale. I guess Micah has the best chance to do it.

I completely agree with you apskip about Kristen and Brooke. They've been consistently among the best in every episode. But in my opinion the third finalist's place is still open. As much I liked Stephan in his season, so far he hasn't made an impression. He could still make it to the final because none of the rest look that capable of making it, but there could be a surprise ( Lizzie, for an all women final?).

Two chefs scoring low on Puck’s rating system were Sheldon (for very pedestrian Chinese cuisine) and Josh (Wolfgang found his dish completely underwhelming). 3 chefs scored high: Brooke, Lizzie, Stefan.Brooke was the winner and received immunity.

The Elimination Challenge was heralded by the arrival of Danny Meyer, one of the great restaurant concept creators and owners in America and a former partner of Tom Colicchio’s. The challenge was to create a concept for a complete restaurant embodied by a pithy phrase and create a dish that represents it. The 2 winning concepts/dishes would win $10,000 each. They had the assistance of 4 sous chefs: Eliza, Kuniko, Carla and Chrissy. That’s 1 sous chef for every 2 chefs, but the telecast did not show any evidence of sharing sous-chefs. 200 portions must be made since it’s Bite of Seattle where the tasting will take place.

The top 3 were Kristen, Sheldon and Josh. Kristen was once again the winner along with Sheldon. Padma instructed Kristen and Sheldon to choose 3 of the other chefs still alive as their sous chefs. One of them was about to be dismissed and leave one head chef with a deficit in manpower. So Kristen chose Brooke, Lizzie and Josie while Sheldon chose Josh, Stefan and Micah.

The less favorite dishes were those of Micah, Josie and Lizzie. Micah got the axe and was off to Last Chance Kitchen, leaving Sheldon’s team with 3 chefs versus 4 for Kristen’s team.

Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 7, CJ vs. Micah

The challenge was to prepare a dish with raw ingredients.Micah went for a carpaccio from duck and bison. CJ went for beef hearts with pickled duck fat to make a tartare. The final dishes were:Micah – bison carpaccio, duck tartare w/ quail egg yolk, pickled carrots, chilis, arugulaCJ – beef heart tartare with chili, pickled duck skin, tomato waterOnce again, CJ was the winner.

I predict that the next 2 off are Josie and Lizzie. After that, Josh and Sheldon. That will leave Kristen, Brooke and Stefan.

So, who will take down CJ in Last Chance Kitchen? I don't see any of my next 4 off who could do it, so CJ may run the table with 10 consecutive wins. The fan favorite will then cook off with the Last Chance Kitchen winner and the winner will move up into the final 4. I now see CJ as doing it, as his consistency has been amazing.

The setup of both kitchens in the Georgetown Ballroom went well. Despite the fact that Sheldon was the executive chef, Stefan took charge of Urbano’s dining room layout. Josh admitted that he had never cooked Filipino style food before and neither had Stefan. Urbano had the disadvantage of one less chef, but they used their 2 dishwashers effectively to help out. Somehow, Stefan was the Maitre D’. Kristen did not have Executive Chef experience for the quantity to be prepared. She set up the flow so that she would be the final arbiter of everything leaving the kitchen.

Josie was supposed to start roasting duck bones for her bouillabaisse stock. Josie never actually did that and had to wait until the next day started. When Kristen finally discovered this, Josie came up with this lame excuse: "That's how I cook -- I don't rush thing" and Kristen let her get away with it. The bouillabaisse stock still isn't done on time the next morning and won't be for quite some time. Something needed to be done to salvage the situation. The gelatin hadn't been added, so Kristen decided at the last minute to skip the gelatin and add cream and soy instead.

Urbano won this competition and Sheldon got that Toyota Avalon. That left Stefan off the hook. It was obvious that the judges considered Josie’s bouillabaisse horrendous, with scallops undercooked and halibut overcooked. They also did not think much of either of Kristen’s dishes. Brooke and Lizzie were commended for their fine dishes so this was going to be mostly a decision based on who was more responsible for the bouillabaisse. Kristen had made the mistake of selecting it for the menu and choosing Josie to cook it. She accepted the Executive Chef oversight for the dishes as they went out. Kristen’s beef bourguignon lacked a red wine sauce and her macarons were off on texture.

Judges’ Table had a difficult decision. Josie threw Kristen under the bus and Kristen bravely accepted ultimate responsibility and refused to share appropriate information that would have helped the judges to make a different decision. The judges elected to eliminate Kristen, which caused most viewers to cringe. So Josie undeservedly stayed alive and Kristen got the ax. All I can say is Ugh!

Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 8 CJ vs. Kristen

The challenge is Making a French-Inspired In 30 Minutes Using Snapper with a Smoke Element. Kristen elected to make bouillabaisse of snapper, crème fraiche, smoked butter, fennel, radish. CJ elected brown butter with creamed morels, smoked mashed potatoes and ratatouille.

Kristen won and should smoke the new Last Chance Kitchen chefs as they leave the regular competition. The bouillabaisse stock still isn't done and won't be for quite some time.

So Josie undeservedly stayed alive and Kristen got the ax. All I can say is Ugh!

I completely agree with you apskip. I couldn't believe the result! They kicked out Kristen who made repeatedly some of the best dishes so far and they kept Josie who has been in the bottom for 3-4 episodes in the row. I was really disappointed.

The diners were some of the best master chefs in America:Wolfgang PuckEmeril LagasseDavid ChangMichelle BernsteinJon ShookVinny Dotolo

The comments on dishes went as follows:Brooke – she made a huge mistake in taking the chicken breast off the bone; she also was caught short on time and could not recrisp her skinJosh – he had really nice fried chickenJosie – her fried chicken was very greasy; Lizzie – she had really nice fried chickenSheldon – he had really nice fried chicken (will he win for a 3rd consecutive episode?)Stefan – he made a cordon bleu chicken but did not attempt fried chicken

Judges’ Table used Emeril, Wolfgang, David, Tom and Padma. They easily agreed that the top 3 were Sheldon, Josh and Lizzie. Josh got the victory and the 360 bottles of wine from Terlato Vineyards. The bottom 3 were Brooke, Josie and Stefan. Each had made huge errors. Brooke had failed to utilize the chickens provided. An amusing sidenote is that earlier in their careers Brooke had not selected either Jon or Vinny for a chef position she controlled and they have gone on to prominence in the chef world. Josie had, as usual, wasted a great deal of time and been caught short at the end. She did not have time to blot the grease off as a result. Stefan was viewed as too indifferent to follow instructions, making the chicken he wanted to make instead of the fried chicken that was requested. The Judges deliberated and decided to eliminate Josie. This was entirely fair as she had no business being advanced to this episode. It should be noted that Stefan has also been skating on thin ice and could get caught soon in spite of his obvious talent.

LAST CHANCE KITCHEN Ep. 9, Kristen vs. Josie

This challenge started with a trip to Pike’s Market to buy a whole salmon. It continued with breaking that down into 10 identical portions and making 10 plates from it in 30 minutes. This was designed to test time management skills. Josie dropped one piece on the floor but replaced it just in time.

This episode starts with 5 chefs remaining and will end with only 4. All chefs are directed by Padma to get on a Celebrity Cruise ship from Seattle to Juneau Alaska (the traditional Inside Passage itinerary). The Guest Judge is Curtis Stone. The Quickfire is to take 2.5 hours to prepare 200 portions of a dish featuring iceburg lettuce for the Welcome Aboard Ship’s Party. The choices of dishes were:

The winner was Sheldon, who received an advantage in the Elimination Challenge. That challenge was to cook innovative, upscale surf-and-turf combination from supplies available in the ship’s galley, which was well-stocked with a huge range of ingredients, but had electric heat. The chefs had eaten the prior evening in Qsine, the innovative resultant on the ship and were to take over the QSine kitchen for this. Sheldon’s advantage was to pick an exclusive meat and an exclusive seafood ingredient that no other chef could use. The dishes chosen were:

The top two rated chefs were Brooke and Josh. The bottom 3 were Lizzie, Sheldon and Stefan. Lizzie’s sins were minor, but Sheldon had soggy, cold tempura and Stefan’s overly crispy pork did not go well with the rest of the dish. Brooke was the winner of a Caribbean cruise for 2 by Celebrity Cruise Line. Lizzie was excused along with Josh and it was Sheldon vs. Stefan for the worst dish. I didn’t have the opportunity to sample those dishes, so who really knows thee influences on a judge. In theory the several prior wins by Sheldon and the recent bottom-feeding performances by Stefan should not have influenced the outcome, but I have a hard time believing that. Stefan got the boot.

Last Chance Kitchen: Kristen vs. Stefan

The goal was to cook with offal. The dishes chosen were:Kristen - Chicken Livers with Garlic & Mustard Caramel, Pickled Fruit, Toasted Bread & Herb Salad Stefan - Boishel of Innards with Cream Cause, Bread, Gallette, Liver & Parsley Salad Kristen won and Stefan was totally through. That means all of the prior seasons competitors are now gone from the main bracket, although CJ remains alive in the Fan Favorite voting (and will probably win that).

I was so glad to see Stefan eliminated on Wednesday. I have never been a big fan of former contestants returning to battle new contestants on any show. I always think once your 15 minutes of fame are over, you shouldn't infringe on the fifteen minutes of others. All-Star editions are one thing but adding oldies to newbies is always highly annoying.

Anyway, back to the episode. I think Sheldon really dodged a bullet and really only stayed because his body of work in the competition so far as been much more appetizing and appealing than Stefan's, even though, we "know" that it is all about the elimination and not the body of work.

The final four is who it really should be. For awhile now, I have seen Lizzie as the dark horse, Josh as a mid packer, Brooke (my favorite) as a formidable threat and Sheldon as the front-runner. I do not see anyone coming out of twitter favorite or last chance kitchen winning the whole thing. I would be majorly bummed if one of them did win. (Once again, it goes along with my oldies/newbies stance. Eliminated cheftestants had a chance to win and they couldn't. Buh-bye.)

All in all, it has been a tremendous season. Can't wait to see how it pans out from here.

I basically agree with you. However, I think Kristen (as my projected winner of Last Chance Kitchen) or CJ (as my, projected winner of Fan Favorite voting) could beat Brooke or Sheldon, although this is a probability statement; it is not preordained. I do agree that Josh and Lizzie are playing out of their league and are unlikely to win.

Don King lead a charge in trying to bring Josie back onto Top Chef. Even though we NOW know Josie didnt win LCK, he was trying to get her votes which we all saw she didnt get. As of now Don King is still a huge supporter and fan of Josie

The judges made a horrendous error in eliminating Kristen, but after they found out the real story see what happened to Josie then. The judges decided to eliminate Josie for consistent problems in competing things on time throughout the season.

We only get to see the chefs as they are portrayed through the editing process on our television. I do not know Josie and I have never and probably will never taste any of her dishes. But she came across on Top Chef (both times) as being pompous, arrogant and rude. She may be a sweetheart in real life and if she is than its a travesty that she was not portrayed as such. But, remember, the powers that be need to make sure each season has the really unlikeable "character". The season, it was Josie. I, personally, think she lasted about four episodes longer than she should have. That though is from someone watching from his Lazy Boy not tasting her food.

It's not often that Top Chef provides advance information on its Quickfires and Elimination Challenges. Tonight will be a Quickfire focused on the local million dollar export - King Crab. Keeping to Alaska's culinary roots for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must impress the judges as well as the locals with their take on salmon and sourdough.

Additional information is that Top Chef 11 has just received the greenlight from BRAVO and is casting.

I expect that the last pre-finale round (in Alaska) will result in narrowing the field to Brooke and Sheldon, with Josh out. I am not sure how BRAVO will handle the other bracket, but most logical is to have Kristen in Los Angeles cookoff against fan favorite CJ. That's a difficult one to call, but I expect Kristen to make it into the finale. I predict Kristen will ultimately prevail over Brooke.

The chefs were sent by helicopter to the North Glacier to a Junior Iditarod Training Center. There they had 30 minutes to produce the best dish they can inside a cramped space with very limited heating capability available and Using Ingredients Found Only in the Camp. The dishes that emerged were:

The Elimination Challenge was to create and cook a special meal that Represents the Defining Culinary Moment in Your Life with 2.5 hours prep/cook and then 1.5 hours final cooking at the Governor’s Mansion for the Governor of Alaska Barnett back in Juneau, his wife and 6 Top Chef judges (Tom, Padma, Gail, Emeril, Wolfgang, Hugh). Note how they all wanted to be part of it. The dishes prepared and served were:

The judges found only minor fault with Brooke’s dish and she won the Elimination Challenge. Sheldon had overreduced with broth, which made it really salty. Josh had a conceptual error in trying to do a foie gras torchons (literally means “wrapped in a towel” cooking method) in less than 1day, which multiple judges stated was not possible. The other 2 components of Josh’s dish were fine, but that one was a disaster. The judges elected to eliminateJosh. It was ironic that just before the final cooking, his wife had given birth to a baby girl.

Josh was told that his did not measure up and that he was out. When it came time to announce who would be joining Brooke and Sheldon in the finale, the answer was To Be Continued. I think that’s a pretty rotten approach but I recall that this was done in the prior season.

It was crunch time for the chefs who survived the cut in Juneau. Brooke has had 6 months to return to her husband, child and the 2 restaurants they own. Sheldon has had the same 6 months to return to Lahaina, Maui and cook as sous chef. The necessity for that delay was that the Fan Favorite voting did not take place until the Alaska episode was shown live in February 2013. Only then could the final Last Chance Kitchen be decided. The ending of the final Last Chance Kitchen was left vague because the producers did not know who won until early February. It was Kristen, who was to compete against Brooke and Sheldon. I will add that this puts the Alaska cruise into the first week in August, which is a good time to go to Alaska since the autumnal equinox is only 6 to 7 weeks off at that point.

The core judges were Tom, Emeril, Padma and Hugh. They were joined in Los Angeles by Guest Judges Martin Yan and John Besh. The locale was Craft-LA, Tom Colicchio’s restaurant. He invited that restaurant’s core clientele to be diners. The Elimination Challenge was simple in concept, cook at Craft a 3 course meal that impresses the judges. The finalists planned their menus (except Brooke who put off a decision on entrée), gathered their ingredients and had 3 hours to cook. However, execution was expected to be virtually perfect. Tom would be expediting from the kitchen.

Commentary on each of the finalists’ menus and dishes was:Sheldon – fell flat; abandoned “what brung him to the dance”, his unique signature style of Filippino and Hawaiian dishes; bland broth, unseasoned prawns; bland quail; fennel a problemKristen – fell on her sword; chestnut veloute very good; tuna mediocre; her chocolate dessert was mediocreBrooke – less focus than typical; slicing and cleaning sweetbreads to order a big problem; short ribs excellent; dessert very good

So it was pretty clear from the comments that it would be Sheldon going home and that was the case. Part 2 of the finals will be Kristen vs. Brooke, which I find entirely appropriate.

It has come down to Kristen versus Brooke, a matchup which anyone having watched this season would consider fair and about even. Each finalist would cook the best five dishes in their culinary lives in front of a studio audience that includes their friends, families, all previous nine "Top Chef" winners and the TC10 chefs not acting as sous chefs. For the first time in Top Chef history it was the battle of female chefs to determine who will be crowned Top Chef. The judges were Hugh Acheson, Emeril Lagasse, Gail Simmons, head judge Tom Colicchio and host Padma Lakshmi.

It was decision time for the Top Chef 10 title and who gets the $125,000 prize from Healthy Choice. A live audience of 300 is in Los Angeles watching the cooking, with 150 of them fed the same dishes. The traditional picking of sous chefs preceded this, with the following results:Brooke – Stefan, CJ and KunikoKristen – Sheldon, Josh, LizzieNotice that Kristen went solely with the last 3 non-final final round finishersfor her picks, while Brooke reached back for Kuniko (bypassing Josie for obvious reasons) and 2 of the chefs beaten by Kristen in Last Chance Kitchen. Each round appeared to get 34 minutes of cooking time, with a certainty that intense planning by the finalists preceded that for menus and ingredients, which were all at the ready. First chef to get the majority of votes for 3 courses would win Top Chef 10.

In course 1, Brooke’s pig ears were fried too much and that cost her the round versus Kristen’s flawless concept and execution.

In course 2, Brooke had flawless concept and execution, but so did Kristen. That course went to Brooke.

In course 3, Brooke’s fried chicken was a major mistake and her sides were uninspired. Kristen’s excellent bone marrow easily won the day.

In course 4, Brooke had slightly dry pork cheeks which threw off her perfect red snapper while Kristen continued her record of perfect dishes.

The cumulative impact was Kristen 3 courses to Brooke 1 course, with the Top Chef 10 win going to Kristen.

I would like to chastise BRAVO (yes you, Andy Cohen) for its placement of commercials. For regular Top Chef episodes the 7 minute commercial (with a tiny 15 second piece of fluff in between) comes around 40 minutes into the one hour episode. Last night it did too. That left with the judges’ verdict for the 4th course left to be revealed exactly 3 minutes for that. It was completely obvious that Kristen had won, because there was not time for a 5th course. I liked the format of course by course judging results. However, the 7 minute commercial has to come much later in order to left viewers in true suspense about the outcome.